An urban energy laboratory for monitoring and better understanding of subsurface processes related to low-enthalpy geothermal heat production – UrbEnLab
David Bruhn (Fraunhofer IEG, TU Delft - Reservoir Engineering)
Hemmo A. Abels (TU Delft - Applied Geology)
Auke Barnhoorn (TU Delft - Applied Geophysics and Petrophysics)
Claire Bossennec (Université de Lille)
Aoife K. Braiden (Research Management & Logistics Ltd)
Maren Brehme (ETH Zürich)
Romain Chassagne (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières )
Alexandros Daniilidis (TU Delft - Reservoir Engineering)
Mathieu Darnet (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières )
Guy Drijkoningen (TU Delft - Applied Geophysics and Petrophysics)
Patrick Fulton (Cornell University)
Virginie Harcouët-Menou Harcouët-Menou (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek)
Ernst Huenges (Klima-Initiative Schwielowsee)
Stefan Jansen (Deltares)
Alexis Koulidis (TU Delft - Water Systems Engineering)
Susanne Laumann (TU Delft - Applied Geophysics and Petrophysics)
Haiyan Lei (Tianjin University)
Joseph Moore (University of Utah)
Paula Rulff (TU Delft - Applied Geophysics and Petrophysics)
Thorben Schöfisch (TU Delft - Applied Geology)
Evert Slob (TU Delft - Applied Geophysics and Petrophysics)
Philip J. Vardon (Geo-engineering)
Liliana Vargas Meleza (ETH Zürich, TU Delft - Lab Geoscience and Engineering)
Denis Voskov (TU Delft - Reservoir Engineering)
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Abstract
Low-enthalpy geothermal heat production is becoming increasingly common, which leads to the potentially competitive use of the available subsurface space, especially in densely populated urban areas. A specific challenge presented by the high density of different geothermal systems is understanding the details of convective and conductive heat flow processes and detailed monitoring of properties and processes in the subsurface.
On the TU Delft campus, we aim to drill a borehole of around 4.5 km depth to be used for the exploration, observation, and monitoring of subsurface processes that will be part of a larger research infrastructure under development. This so-called urban energy laboratory includes – in addition to the deep multi-use borehole – a well-instrumented geothermal doublet drilled in 2023, reaching to a depth of 2.2 km; a local seismic monitoring system (installed in 2022); an ultra-sensitive portable seismic monitoring array; and a high-temperature aquifer heat storage system (HT-ATES), for which a pilot well was drilled in 2024. With this urban energy laboratory, we want to tackle problems and better understand processes related to multiple and/or competing subsurface uses in urban environments. The deep exploration and monitoring borehole is designed specifically to monitor fluid and/or flux movement in 3D with unprecedented precision, aiming to understand the propagation of the geothermal cold front and reservoir pressures.
During the 3 d International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)-sponsored UrbEnLab workshop, 75 scientists from 17 countries met in Delft, the Netherlands, in June 2024 to prioritize the scientific ambitions of the deep exploration and monitoring borehole and to discuss potential techniques that could be applied to tackle them. Assessing the life cycle of a geothermal system situated in a complex heterogeneous sedimentary system was defined as the broad aim, with revealing the detailed flow field established being a key priority.
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